For many decades now, South East Asia has been an important oil and gas producer, accounting for five percent of current global oil production. But now, age has caught up with oil and gas infrastructure in Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Indonesia. In February 2018 the Jakarta Post estimated that over the next decade, […]
A Conversation With US Ambassador Scot Marciel
On March 8, The Irrawaddy’s editorial team invited US Ambassador Scot Marciel to our office in Yangon to participate in a conversation on a range of issues, particularly the many challenges Myanmar is facing. The ambassador offered his frank views in response to questions from senior editors. Here are excerpts from the interview: The Irrawaddy: […]
First Tourists Arrive on New Free-Visa System, 21 Western Countries to be Added
As an initial phase of implementing its new tourism strategy, the tourism ministry launched a free-visa system for tourists from Japan, South Korean and China’s Hong Kong and Macau on Monday. The move is likely to be followed in the coming years by the lifting of visa requirements for citizens of another 21 countries—especially western […]
Anti-corruption drive dodges political donations and criminal liability
Nay Pyi Taw has stepped up its efforts to curb corruption by empowering the anti-graft body and reaching out to the private sector. Yet, the announcement from the Directorate of Investment and Companies Administration (DICA) has created confusion among businesses. Crucially, there are still no criminal liability for offering bribes and no effective regulations on […]
Vietnam, Myanmar look towards 1 bln USD in two-way trade
Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and State Counselor of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi agreed to further deepen bilateral trade and investment on win-win basis towards achieving 1 billion USD or higher in two-way trade during their talks in Hanoi on April 19. The talks took place right after the welcome ceremony […]